brown Archives

Accessorizing a Camel, Ivory and Brown Capsule Wardrobe

November 5, 2021

Remember this lovely wardrobe from last week? I could be so tempted to just chuck everything I own and wear these colors, if I was feeling crazy and reckless...

I thought that I would try to start with 4 pairs of shoes - as I have done before. Simple flats can be worn with your skirt, or in somewhat warmer weather with pants. Loafers go with everything; leather athletic shoes are GORGEOUS and look lovely with pants, and of course short boots can be worn with everything...

Does anybody else remember back in the day when we would NEVER have worn boots that didn't come up to meet the hem of our skirt? That gap was SO off limits... Things have changed!

For my view of life, a small clutch, a cross-body bag, ... View the Post

Start with Art: Construction by Max Weber

October 13, 2021 Difficult...

Very early in her career, she became instantly famous (at least in architecture circles!) for her innovations in combining unexpected construction materials. She discovered new synergies of strength and flexibility that changed the industry...

Since then, she has deliberately cultivated a reputation for being a difficult partner in projects. She's actually a lovely, kind woman, but she finds that she is treated with more respect if everyone approaches her with a certain... trepidation?

Her wardrobe reflects her interest in combining things in unexpected ways; she might show up for a project summit dressed in a soft, approachable way:

But she knows that she's going to want to surprise ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Secret Garden in Autumn by Fetolia

September 17, 2021 Subtle....

She doesn't need to be recognized. She never cares if she turns heads, or if she stands out in a crowd. When she travels, she blends into nature, and takes pictures that are hard for others to take, because they disrupt the peace and quiet...

She's taking a long weekend to a small town a couple of hours away from where she lives. All kinds of raptors have been seen in the fields and wooded areas near there.

She loves to photograph raptors; their speed and precision thrills her...

She wants to look reasonably nice - she does have to go out for dinner every night! And she needs to be warm-ish, but nothing outrageous. She will unfold her little chair, prop up her camera, and sit. Quietly. ... View the Post

Start With Art: Dance Dance by Jacqueline Osborn

April 14, 2021

She's Been Cold... for over a year. Not really physically cold, so much as missing the "chaleur humaine" - the human warmth of society...

So when she knew that she was going to finally go on vacation, this was her heart's desire:

okay, just feel free to pause right here and go admire this artist's work - I will forever be grateful to readers who send me links to new artists!

After a year of stress and tension, she's determined to be in complete control of her travel wardrobe! She decides that a "one piece at a time" approach to packing will suit her just fine...

After she gets that essential 2nd top in her bag, she starts with the easiest of packing - a dress!

She knows that she will be ... View the Post

Start with Art: Man in a Café by Juan Gris

January 13, 2021

She was looking for a foolproof color palette; one day, she ran into this gentleman:

She is thrilled - she can see black, white, shades of grey, camel, khaki, brown, and denim blue. These colors ALL go together...

She starts small, with packing for a long weekend. She knows that her denim shirt is perfect under a black sweater and cords...

Now, how can this be foolproof?

v-neck sweaters are perfect over button-front shirts, OR on their own; button front shirts are easy 1st layers or they can be worn without something over them. Now that she has found Petite sizes that have short enough sleeves, and ample enough torsos, she's all set! and black bottoms and shoes...

So this is what she ... View the Post

Start with a Bracelet – Golden Hour by Fierce Lynx Designs

November 16, 2020 Rumor Has It...

...that the elusive "they" are going to install broadband internet access up at The Cottages!

She's off to see if this is true, and more importantly, to take advantage of the cool weather to admire the sky. Away from the lights of the city, everything is different...

The days are so short now that she's awake for both sunrise AND sunset, and intends to take full advantage of those golden hours of the morning and late afternoon...

So off she goes!

Since she's going to be alone for these 3 days, she's going to be wearing a mix of night clothes and "normal" day wear. If there's anything fun in the night sky, she might find that her days and nights turn around...

It seems like a ... View the Post

Start with FICTION? Fulvia Morgana, from Small World by David Lodge

November 11, 2020

I've never tried this before! But when I read this description, I knew I had to share it, and to fantasize about what she might have packed.... So let's meet Fulvia Morgana from the book Small World by David Lodge.

Isn't she fascinating? There's no hint of how old she is, or how she's built, or what her coloring might be!

But I'll warn you, she's not the nicest person in the book...

For our purposes, though, I'm thinking about what she changes into when she arrives at the ghastly literary conference...

note - this character is super-wealthy, so I've completely ignored prices on things in this post; it was interesting...

For the first night, she wants to sit quietly on the sidelines to see who's there, ... View the Post

Start with Nature: Revisiting the Common Shelduck

October 21, 2020

She's been driving down to visit them at their lake house on a regular basis for a few years now... Her first trip was in the dead of winter; a bit of warmth and sitting outdoor was delightful!

After the pandemic started, she was down earlier in the summer to take advantage of their cooking frenzy...

Now, they're talking about having her come for the entire winter! Why not - it's not like she's having buckets of fun being in her apartment almost all day every day!

And she wouldn't mind seeing some birds...

"Come down for the weekend and we can discuss it; you can have the bedroom and bath that you had back in the summer, and you can work on the desk in your bedroom. We're upgrading the wifi..."

"If ... View the Post

Revisiting Eiffel Tower by Robert Delaunay

October 5, 2020

The last time she went to Paris, it all turned out to be... very interesting!

At the end of the 2nd day she was there, she walked up to the woman who had been following her, and asked WHAT was going on?

Well... the woman was looking for another photographer to join the group of official government staff who were documenting all of the most obscure and hidden sculptures and monuments in Paris, and wanted to know if she wanted to be considered...

Uhhh... okay!

She still doesn't know what her new boss saw in her and her photography techniques, that caused her to want to hire her. She frankly doesn't care!

So now, ever other weekend, she takes the train to Paris. She's able to sleep on the train, so she ... View the Post

Start with Art: Untitled by Svenja Deininger

September 25, 2020

Another wonderful artist...

Pulled in SO MANY Directions... It's what life has been, for quite a while. But she has a chance to get away for just a few days - it's her turn to go take anything she wants from her great-aunt's home...

She has always allowed herself just a little bit of "all for her" in her life, and in her wardrobe. A wise, careful woman can do great things with a black, camel and cream wardrobe, of course.

But someone who needs to express herself, just a wee bit, is going to grab an occasional accent color!

This isn't going to be a case of rummaging through dusty stacks of worthless debris... her great-aunt had some amazing costume jewelry, beautiful scarves, and some books that ... View the Post

I Love IT, But Will I Wear It? A Brown Cashmere Sweater

June 18, 2020

Brown is the most annoying color to try to find in clothing. Well, okay, maybe it's olive green, or a true purple, but for those who would love to build a core wardrobe in brown, it's maddening!

So when I was asked about these sweaters, I jumped on the idea right away:

Brown goes beautifully with just about every neutral...

I love brown and black together - I know that it violates that rule about wearing warm and cool colors together, but I've never believed that to be true! Nature is full of examples of warm and cool colors together...

Grey might be the most difficult of the six neutrals to wear with brown, but it's still not a big struggle. A little bit of silver jewelry and you're ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting L’Ombre by Pablo Picasso

June 10, 2020

You might remember this psychiatrist from the spring of 2017; her casual wardrobe occasioned some discussions about how professionals should dress... She Wasn't Sure If She Would Go...

But they've asked her to sit on the dais 1 night, so she feels like that's a reason to show up...

Many of the meetings will be outdoors - better for social distancing, and more relaxing. The dinner's are rather nice, but most of the conference is quite casual...

She can drive there in just a couple of hours, so there's no worry about being on an airplane. And she'll have a private hotel room, and be outdoors much of the time, so overall the conference sounds both safe and... could it be? almost pleasant!

She's got ... View the Post